The Contract
by pkpulakkmr
Summary: Stella Nox Caelum and her crew fulfill a solemn duty in Lestallum; selling Nissin Cup Noodles.


I never really thought I would have to shoulder such a duty. For so long, I was simply naive, unaware of the obligations those around me had to shoulder. For so long, I was a pampered, sheltered girl.

But that day I was cruelly reminded of the compromises that I needed to make, if my friends and I were to get by.

It all began shortly after we arrived at Lestallum, weary from everything that had befallen us. But I was once again pointedly reminded of the duty I had towards my friends when we happened across a Nissin Cup Noodle stand near the bay area.

"Wow, are those really Cup Noodles? I haven't tried those in so long!" Gladia exclaimed, as she saw them. "Come on, Stella, let's check it out!"

I steeled myself, knowing what had to be done. "Of course, Gladia. I find Cup Noodles fascinating as well."

Gladia and I slowly approached the stand, with Prompto and Ignis in tow behind us. Gladia faced me and said "You know, Stella, back when I trained on my own, I understood how delicate the art of crafting the ideal meal was. You need the right balance of nutrition and taste, which can only be obtained if you carefully choose the finest, freshest ingredients."

I seriously wondered why Gladia had to be the one saying all these lines. Ignis was the experienced chef on my entourage, and I'd made that abundantly clear. Nonetheless, the contract had been made, and there was no turning back.

"I couldn't agree with you more, Gladia." I replied, with the biggest smile I could muster.

"So tell me, Stella." Gladia continued. "What would be your ideal Cup Noodle? What are your favorite ingredients?"

"Well, I'm quite the fan of meat and shrimp." I replied. "And I like my noodles cooked in delicious trout oil!"

On cue, she chuckled and said "Truly, our tastes unite us more than they divide us! A meal that is fit for both the princess and the commoner! How about we check out the stand up ahead for your favorite recipe?"

We headed over to the Nissin Cup Noodle stand, and Gladia introduced me and spoke of my favorite ingredients.

"Ah, we have just the right recipe for you, princess Stella!" the man behind the counter exclaimed. "Introducing the Nissin ChikNTrout Turbo flavor! A meal fit for a queen, only for 320 gil!" He then whipped out a cup of noodles that had been prepared for this very occasion.

"You have my gratitude!" I said with a bow, and took the cup noodles. As Gladia paid the money, I began feasting on them, making sure to display an authentic level of eagerness. Which wasn't too hard, actually, since the noodles really did taste quite good.

"Such exquisite flavor, for such a reasonable price!" I said, upon finishing my cup. "Truly, Nissin Cup Noodles are a treasure of the realm of Eos!"

"And yet, they are a treasure so many take for granted." Gladia chimed in. "I have lost count of all the ignorant souls who believe that whipping up the perfect Cup of Noodles on their own is no big deal."

"Ah, the ramblings of the foolish and naive." I said, waving my hand dismissively. I was supposed to do it in as queenly a manner as possible, but honestly, that instruction didn't make a lick of sense to me.

"Perhaps we ought to show the naive commoners what it takes to create one's own perfect cup." Gladia said. "How about we venture forth and gather the most exquisite meat, shrimp, trout and flour, and create our perfect cup from scratch?"

On cue, I smiled in admiration. "I always knew I could count on someone like you to push me to do my best! Let us venture forth, my loyal comrades, and make our own perfect Cup!"

We then ventured off in the Regalia towards the location of a Wyvern we'd been told about. I personally found it ludicrous that we were expected to actually take on and fight that thing to the death, but I suppose that was just another sign of how badly Niflheim had fucked things up for everybody, not just me.

However, we had long grown proficient in dealing with troublesome beasts like them, so killing and skinning the Wyvern was no serious issue. The only remaining ingredients after that were the trout, shrimp and the flour. I fished for the trout and shrimp with ease, while the flour was delivered to us from Essex Farms Incorporated, supposedly the "most elite producers of rice flour in the realm!" After all, Nissin Cup Noodles would only use the finest and most exquisite flour, which is _totally_ not cheaply and easily available at grocery stores everywhere under a different brand name!

Afterwords, we made camp at a place that was safe enough for everyone involved to rest easy, and thankfully we managed to convince everyone that Ignis should do all the cooking. She then proceeded to make us all our very own Cup Noodles for dinner, which we consumed with joy for all to see.

"You know something?" Gladia said as we disposed of our finished cups. "Going through all that trouble to make our own Custom Cup, has made me appreciate Cup Noodles more than ever before."

"Perhaps we truly can't improve upon perfection." Ignis said, and Prompto beamed in response. Probably because she was trying to suppress her giggling.

"It's not about finding the single best ingredient." Gladia continued, "It's about finding the perfect blend of flavors, the perfect combo of meat, shrimp, flour and oil, to create the tastiest noodles imaginable!"

"Absolutely! It truly makes you appreciate how delicious these noodles really are!' Prompto said.

I quietly sighed in relief that she was able to pull it off, before saying "I know I sure do!"

"And...cut!" the director said. Soon afterwords, Prompto began laughing like crazy. It was all I could do to suppress my own giggles.

"Er...what's so funny?" the director said, clearly baffled by the recent turn of events.

"Don't worry about it." Gladia said. "Just give us the money."

The camera crew departed the next morning, after successfully transferring our performance fees to us. And as we rode back to Lestallum in our Regalia, Prompto and I broke out into laughter again.

"Cup Noodles? Seriously, Gladia? Friggin' Cup noodles?!" I said, between my guffaws.

"Hey, we made good money, didn't we?" she replied, looking mildly annoyed.

"But still...cup noodles?!" I said.

"Well, they do taste pretty good." Ignis said. "Though the advertisements definitely overstate their nutritional value."

"I know! You had to wean me off that stuff when we were kids!" I said to Ignis. "And now I'm giving them my royal seal of approval! It's insane, it's absolutely insane!"

"You were fucking with them, weren't you, Stella?" Prompto said. "I mean, the way you delivered that line. 'I know I sure do!' That was so cheesy! You were definitely fucking with them!"

"Maybe." I said, and smiled.

And that is the story of how we financed the war against Niflheim with a cup noodle commercial.


End file.
